Categories
End User scams

Another Microsoft scam call – supportpconline

Quite excited to receive another Microsoft “we need to check out yourPC” scam call. It’s been nearly a year since speedytechies called. This lot were called supportpconline. Their attentive advisor Alex gave me their url to check out  http://www.supportpconline.com/index_microsoft.php but it wouldn’t resolve to that – I could only access their index page. I note that […]

Categories
fun stuff

The Bench

I just ordered a bench. A made to measure wooden job for the garage to be precise. To be even more precise it’s 1400mm  long, 580mm wide (deep?) and 1050 high with a 44mm thick top. Every bloke should have a bench. I particularly need one because two Christmases ago I got a vice. It’s bloomin’ heavy and needs […]

Categories
End User fun stuff

Breaking news – the shed is finished

Breaking news – the shed is finished, or as finished as its going to get. Still a few bits of side panel need patching but it ain’t gonna happen. The two images below represent the state of the shed first thing this morning, covered by a tarpaulin because it had no felt on it followed […]

Categories
End User mobile apps

Would you trust Samsung with your health data?

Still in the process of moving icons around since regaining my SGS4 and clicked on the Walking Mate App – “keep track of how many steps you take each day with S Health”. OK I’m interested I thought and clicked. The App took me through a process and got to the page shown in the […]

Categories
Business online safety security voip

Voice Fraud – You Need to Act!

Trefor.net welcomes VoIP guest contributor Simon Woodhead, CEO of wholesale voice provider Simwood. In February, we published VoIP Fraud Analysis, a white paper that details Simwood’s three years of operating a Honeypot, coloured in by many years of real-world experience servicing wholesale voice clients of all sizes and seeing them compromised. Our research has been […]

Categories
End User gadgets H/W wearable

Google Can Kiss My Glass

The netwaves have been humming for about a week with the news that Google would finally open up their Glass Explorer Program to the general public, albiet for one day only — today, 15-April — and only for the suckers…er, buying public who can claim to be a “US resident” (though not in a legal […]

Categories
End User social networking UC

Many Happy Returns of the Onslaught

According to some algorithm or other deep in its cockles, Facebook reports that 79 people of the oh-so-fine folk I am connected to via that social media behemoth posted birthday wishes to my wall on Monday (which, yes, was my birthday). On top of that, after I posted acknowledgement and thanks for all of that […]

Categories
End User social networking

The continuing story of why I don’t like Facebook despite the fact that I use it

I’ve mentioned this before but I hate Facebook. Their ads really irk me. Just now I’ve been reminded that my next birthday is my 53rd. I don’t mind that it is my 53rd birthday. I quite like being me. What annoys me is that Facebook have shoved an ad in my face asking “Are you 53 […]

Categories
Business online safety Regs social networking

Edward Snowden – Facebook charges its users!

Facebook charges its users! A dramatic byline….. ostensibly it hasn’t broken its vow that it is “free to use and always will be“, and there isn’t a pay-wall being erected around it. That said, with the hefty price tag it just paid for WhatsApp, it may well have to consider things!. But Facebook has always […]

Categories
Engineer internet

Internet routing pedestrian style – OSPPF

I walk to work. Takes me half an hour, give or take. Doesn’t seem to matter which route, in the great scheme of things. Depends whether I dawdle in shop windows or not. I like to vary my way in. This morning I had decided to take the shortest route. It is mostly busy main […]

Categories
End User social networking

Annoying Facebook ads

Facebook gets more annoying. Today I note the adverts presented for my eager consumption and click through. I am not interested in finding attractive women for men over fifty, especially when in the photo they look as if they are the same age as my daughter. Moreover I am happy enough with my teeth and […]

Categories
Business internet online safety piracy Regs surveillance & privacy

An evening with Julian Huppert MP – Internet Hero #fundraiser

I’m not in the least bit political. If I get involved on the periphery of Parliamentary discussions and debate it is because I occasionally see MPs trying to implement legislation that doesn’t make sense in our modern internet based world. This is often because MPs have so much information thrown t them that they have […]

Categories
Business social networking

Profile information on people when adding to Google Contacts

I’ve added a couple of people to my Google Contacts list today based on being given their email addresses and mobile phone numbers. I’m impressed to see what other information on each person Google comes up with when you add them as a contact. The info added by Google in Contacts must presumably be dependent […]

Categories
Business online safety security spam

Gmail update – Google+ comment

Got an email yesterday from Google about a change to Gmail. Everyone probably got the same mail. Certainly the mainstream media made big news of it, in the tech sections. When you are sending an email from a gmail account you will now be offered Google+ account holders as recipients of the mail. One site, […]

Categories
End User Regs surveillance & privacy

PRISM and the currently shelved Draft Communications Data Bill

There’s been a lot of noise about the PRISM surveillance program (American spelling because it’s American). There’s a ton of stuff about it on Wikipedia. A few people asked whether I was going to write a blog post about it. I wasn’t. Lots of people earn their living just looking at this kind of stuff. […]

Categories
Business nuisance calls and messages Regs

ICO Annual Report and nuisance calls from 08432890049

The Information Commissioners Office has 355 staff. Hadn’t realised it was such a big outfit. When you think about it with the world moving online and with so much information about us being kept in so many places the ICO has a huge brief. Also the ICO website has been changed from .gov to .org […]

Categories
Business Cloud internet online safety piracy scams

Should we regulate the cloud?

Today I am at a CIO event in London discussing the topic “Too important to be regulated and too important to be left alone” (Forbes) – Should we regulate the cloud? You could extend this question to encompass the whole internet. Really there is no difference between the internet and the cloud. When you think […]

Categories
Engineer fun stuff ofcom

And the hot news is…

Normally I’m fending off ideas for blog posts. This last couple of weeks I’ve been wading through a soup of Awards Entries which take yonks to write, especially when they limit you to writing your life story in 250 words. Bit of an  exaggeration but those of you who have to do that sort of […]

Categories
Business Cloud virtualisation

The Psychological Challenge of the Cloud

Big platforms such as Google (Drive), Apple (iCloud) and latterly Microsoft (SkyDrive) are driving customers towards cloud services. The move to use these resources is almost certainly inevitable, for the consumer. The constraints are largely down to cost and privacy concerns. For the business user replace the word “privacy” with “security”. I buy into the […]

Categories
Business internet Regs

ISPA on the up – Facebook is new member

Good news for the Internet Service Providers Association ISPA with Facebook joining its membership ranks. The trade association is becoming increasingly relevant in a world where there is a constant threat of regulation. We have to be careful that regulation does not stymie the explosive growth that has characterised the internet since its inception. The argument […]

Categories
Business Regs security surveillance & privacy

The Report of the Joint Select Committee on the Draft Communications Data Bill

The Report of the Joint Select Committee on the Draft communications Data Bill was issued this morning at one minute past midnight. It’s been in the news this morning with the deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg calling on ministers to rip up their plans and go to “back to the drawing board“. The 105 page […]

Categories
End User piracy surveillance & privacy

Golden Eye – not just another James Bond villain

You will no doubt remember the case of evil villain ACS Law where consumers were bullied into stumping up cash with the threat of being taken to court for online copyright infringement. Victims often had no idea of the legality of what ACS Law was doing or where the burden of proof lay and often […]

Categories
Business Regs surveillance & privacy

Draft Comms Data Bill Select Committee appearance for oral evidence #ccdp

Yesterday I gave oral evidence to the Draft Communications Data Bill Joint Select Committee1. It’s the first time I have been asked to give evidence like this and something one has to take very seriously. I was with three others: Caspar Bowden who is a colleague on the ICO Technology Reference Panel, Dr Gus Hosein of […]

Categories
Business online safety Regs

More Draft Comms Data Bill analysis & Gary McKinnon

Gary McKinnon has been in the news this week. Unless you have just surfaced for internet air you will remember that he is the guy with Aspergers who hacked into the Pentagon computer and who the marshalls Feds in US of A wanted to extradite so that they could extract revenge. This post is not about […]

Categories
End User Regs surveillance & privacy

Draft Comms Data Bill written submissions #CCDP #commsdata

The written evidence submitted to the Joint Select committee on the Draft Communications Data Bill amounts to 448 pages and is a surprisingly interesting read. Some of you may not have the inclination to plough through the whole lot so just for you I’m going to jot down  few choice bits in a number of […]

Categories
Business Regs security

Now where did I leave that important information? #commsdatabill

You will of course recall my recent post on Big Data in which I related how many laptops are left in the back of taxis. 10,857.14 of them every year to be precise. Well I was wrong. Not only did I underestimate how many cabs there are in London but the average number of laptops […]

Categories
End User social networking

And then there were four… quiet house

Here in the Davies house all is calm. The Sunday roast is ready to go in the oven, the veg prepared and the fireplace cleaned out in anticipation of coal being bought from the garage at the end of Burton Road. Two kids are now away at their respective Universities with two left at home. […]

Categories
Business internet Regs

ISPA conference 12th November

If anyone is interested in attending the annual  ISPA conference registration is now open. I’m chairing an interesting debate on the draft Communications Data Bill. This conference is always jam packed with good subject matter and well worth going. Full agenda is below: 0915  Registration and Coffee 0940  Introduction by Nicholas Lansman – ISPA Secretary General 0945  Keynote […]

Categories
End User fun stuff

photo mania madness must stop

It is only recently that I mentioned taking a Gig’s worth of photos at the Lincolnshire show using my Samsung Galaxy S3. Well this photo mania madness must stop. Last night I rattled off almost 2.5Gigs worth. Storage is cheap but not that cheap and I have to consider what on earth I will do […]

Categories
End User Regs surveillance & privacy

Draft Communications Data Bill – a summing up of why it is wrong

Home Secretary Theresa May launched the draft Communications Data Bill yesterday with an interview on the Radio 4 Today programme. She has also written a foreword to the Bill arguing why we need it. I have already written arguments against why we should implement this act. All of my previous points remain and I will […]